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Clein RS, Warren MR, Neunuebel JP. Automated behavioral analysis reveals that mice employ a bait-and-switch escape mechanism to de-escalate social conflict. bioRxiv 2024:2024.01.12.575321. [PMID: 38260649 PMCID: PMC10802557 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.12.575321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Intraspecies aggression has profound ecological and evolutionary consequences, as recipients can suffer injuries, decreases in fitness, and become outcasts from social groups. Although animals implement diverse strategies to avoid hostile confrontations, the extent to which social influences affect escape tactics is unclear. Here, we used computational and machine-learning approaches to analyze complex behavioral interactions as mixed-sex groups of mice, Mus musculus, freely interacted. Mice displayed a rich repertoire of behaviors marked by changes in behavioral state, aggressive encounters, and mixed-sex interactions. A prominent behavioral sequence consistently occurred after aggressive encounters, where males in submissive states quickly approached and transiently interacted with females immediately before the aggressor engaged with the same female. The behavioral sequences were also associated with substantially fewer physical altercations. Furthermore, the male's behavioral state and the interacting partners could be predicted by distinct features of the behavioral sequence, such as kinematics and the latency to and duration of male-female interactions. More broadly, our work revealed an ethologically relevant escape strategy influenced by the presence of females that may serve as a mechanism for de-escalating social conflict and preventing consequential reductions in fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel S. Clein
- University of Delaware, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Newark, DE 19713
| | - Megan R. Warren
- University of Delaware, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Newark, DE 19713
- Emory University, Department of Biology, Atlanta, GA 30322
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory National Primate Center, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Joshua P. Neunuebel
- University of Delaware, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Newark, DE 19713
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Warren MR, Campbell D, Borie AM, Ford CL, Dharani AM, Young LJ, Liu RC. Maturation of Social-Vocal Communication in Prairie Vole ( Microtus ochrogaster) Pups. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 15:814200. [PMID: 35087387 PMCID: PMC8787284 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.814200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Impairments in social communication are common among neurodevelopmental disorders. While traditional animal models have advanced our understanding of the physiological and pathological development of social behavior, they do not recapitulate some aspects where social communication is essential, such as biparental care and the ability to form long-lasting social bonds. Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) have emerged as a valuable rodent model in social neuroscience because they naturally display these behaviors. Nonetheless, the role of vocalizations in prairie vole social communication remains unclear. Here, we studied the ontogeny [from postnatal days (P) 8-16] of prairie vole pup ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), both when isolated and when the mother was present but physically unattainable. In contrast to other similarly sized rodents such as mice, prairie vole pups of all ages produced isolation USVs with a relatively low fundamental frequency between 22 and 50 kHz, often with strong harmonic structure. Males consistently emitted vocalizations with a lower frequency than females. With age, pups vocalized less, and the acoustic features of vocalizations (e.g., duration and bandwidth) became more stereotyped. Manipulating an isolated pup's social environment by introducing its mother significantly increased vocal production at older (P12-16) but not younger ages, when pups were likely unable to hear or see her. Our data provide the first indication of a maturation in social context-dependent vocal emission, which may facilitate more active acoustic communication. These results help lay a foundation for the use of prairie voles as a model organism to probe the role of early life experience in the development of social-vocal communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan R. Warren
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Drayson Campbell
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Amélie M. Borie
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Charles L. Ford
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Ammar M. Dharani
- Summer Opportunities of Academic Research Program, James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Larry J. Young
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Robert C. Liu
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Warren MR, Spurrier MS, Sangiamo DT, Clein RS, Neunuebel JP. Correction: Mouse vocal emission and acoustic complexity do not scale linearly with the size of a social group. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb243045. [PMID: 34279028 PMCID: PMC10659030 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Warren MR, Spurrier MS, Sangiamo DT, Clein RS, Neunuebel JP. Mouse vocal emission and acoustic complexity do not scale linearly with the size of a social group. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb239814. [PMID: 34096599 PMCID: PMC8214829 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.239814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Adult mice emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), sounds above the range of human hearing, during social encounters. While mice alter their vocal emissions between isolated and social contexts, technological impediments have hampered our ability to assess how individual mice vocalize in group social settings. We overcame this challenge by implementing an 8-channel microphone array system, allowing us to determine which mouse emitted individual vocalizations across multiple social contexts. This technology, in conjunction with a new approach for extracting and categorizing a complex, full repertoire of vocalizations, facilitated our ability to directly compare how mice modulate their vocal emissions between isolated, dyadic and group social environments. When comparing vocal emission during isolated and social settings, we found that socializing male mice increase the proportion of vocalizations with turning points in frequency modulation and instantaneous jumps in frequency. Moreover, males change the types of vocalizations emitted between social and isolated contexts. In contrast, there was no difference in male vocal emission between dyadic and group social contexts. Female vocal emission, while predominantly absent in isolation, was also similar during dyadic and group interactions. In particular, there were no differences in the proportion of vocalizations with frequency jumps or turning points. Taken together, the findings lay the groundwork necessary for elucidating the stimuli underlying specific features of vocal emission in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan R. Warren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Morgan S. Spurrier
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Daniel T. Sangiamo
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Rachel S. Clein
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Joshua P. Neunuebel
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
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Warren MR, Clein RS, Spurrier MS, Roth ED, Neunuebel JP. Ultrashort-range, high-frequency communication by female mice shapes social interactions. Sci Rep 2020; 10:2637. [PMID: 32060312 PMCID: PMC7021676 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-59418-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals engage in complex social encounters that influence social groups and resource allocation. During these encounters, acoustic signals, used at both short and long ranges, play pivotal roles in regulating the behavior of conspecifics. Mice, for instance, emit ultrasonic vocalizations, signals above the range of human hearing, during close-range social interactions. How these signals shape behavior, however, is unknown due to the difficulty in discerning which mouse in a group is vocalizing. To overcome this impediment, we used an eight-channel microphone array system to determine which mouse emitted individual vocal signals during 30 minutes of unrestrained social interaction between a female and a single male or female conspecific. Females modulated both the timing and context of vocal emission based upon their social partner. Compared to opposite-sex pairings, females in same-sex pairs vocalized when closer to a social partner and later in the 30 minutes of social engagement. Remarkably, we found that female mice exhibited no immediate changes in acceleration (movement) to male-emitted vocal signals. Both males and females, in contrast, modulated their behavior following female-emitted vocal signals in a context-dependent manner. Thus, our results suggest female vocal signals function as a means of ultrashort-range communication that shapes mouse social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- M R Warren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - R S Clein
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - M S Spurrier
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - E D Roth
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - J P Neunuebel
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA.
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Warren MR, Spurrier MS, Roth ED, Neunuebel JP. Sex differences in vocal communication of freely interacting adult mice depend upon behavioral context. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0204527. [PMID: 30240434 PMCID: PMC6150532 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) are believed to play a critical role in mouse communication. Although mice produce USVs in multiple contexts, signals emitted in reproductive contexts are typically attributed solely to the male mouse. Only recently has evidence emerged showing that female mice are also vocally active during mixed-sex interactions. Therefore, this study aimed to systematically quantify and compare vocalizations emitted by female and male mice as the animals freely interacted. Using an eight-channel microphone array to determine which mouse emitted specific vocalizations during unrestrained social interaction, we recorded 13 mixed-sex pairs of mice. We report here that females vocalized significantly less often than males during dyadic interactions, with females accounting for approximately one sixth of all emitted signals. Moreover, the acoustic features of female and male signals differed. We found that the bandwidths (i.e., the range of frequencies that a signal spanned) of female-emitted signals were smaller than signals produced by males. When examining how the frequency of each signal changed over time, the slopes of male-emitted signals decreased more rapidly than female signals. Further, we revealed notable differences between male and female vocal signals when the animals were performing the same behaviors. Our study provides evidence that a female mouse does in fact vocalize during interactions with a male and that the acoustic features of female and male vocalizations differ during specific behavioral contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan R. Warren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, United States of America
| | - Morgan S. Spurrier
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, United States of America
| | - Eric D. Roth
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, United States of America
| | - Joshua P. Neunuebel
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, United States of America
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Connor LE, Morrison CA, Oswald IDH, Pulham CR, Warren MR. Carbon dioxide binary crystals via the thermal decomposition of RDX at high pressure. Chem Sci 2017; 8:4872-4878. [PMID: 28959411 PMCID: PMC5603901 DOI: 10.1039/c7sc01379e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2017] [Accepted: 05/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide solid solution has been captured in a diamond anvil cell following the thermal decomposition of 1,3,5-trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) at high temperatures and pressures. This is the first time a carbon dioxide binary solid has been observed at high pressure. This observation has stimulated low temperature crystallographic studies of this binary system using recently developed gas absorption apparatus and computational modelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- L E Connor
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences , University of Strathclyde , 161 Cathedral Street , Glasgow , G4 0RE , UK .
| | - C A Morrison
- School of Chemistry , Centre for Science at Extreme Conditions , The University of Edinburgh , King's Buildings , David Brewster Road , Edinburgh EH9 3FJ , UK
| | - I D H Oswald
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences , University of Strathclyde , 161 Cathedral Street , Glasgow , G4 0RE , UK .
| | - C R Pulham
- School of Chemistry , Centre for Science at Extreme Conditions , The University of Edinburgh , King's Buildings , David Brewster Road , Edinburgh EH9 3FJ , UK
| | - M R Warren
- Diamond Light Source , Harwell Science and Innovation Campus , Didcot , Oxfordshire OX11 0DE , UK
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Symmers PR, Burke MJ, August DP, Thomson PIT, Nichol GS, Warren MR, Campbell CJ, Lusby PJ. Non-equilibrium cobalt(iii) "click" capsules. Chem Sci 2015; 6:756-760. [PMID: 28706638 PMCID: PMC5494537 DOI: 10.1039/c4sc03036b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2014] [Accepted: 10/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cobalt(iii) tetrahedral capsules have been prepared using an assembly-followed-by-oxidation protocol from a cobalt(ii) precursor and a readily derivatizable pyridyl-triazole ligand system. Experiments designed to probe the constitutional dynamics show that these architectures are in a non-equilibrium state. A preliminary investigation into the host-guest chemistry of a water-soluble derivative shows it can bind and differentiate a range of different neutral organic molecules. The stability of this ensemble also permits the study of guest-binding at high salt concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- P R Symmers
- EaStCHEM School of Chemistry , University of Edinburgh , The King's Buildings, David Brewster Road , Edinburgh EH9 3FJ , UK .
| | - M J Burke
- EaStCHEM School of Chemistry , University of Edinburgh , The King's Buildings, David Brewster Road , Edinburgh EH9 3FJ , UK .
| | - D P August
- EaStCHEM School of Chemistry , University of Edinburgh , The King's Buildings, David Brewster Road , Edinburgh EH9 3FJ , UK .
| | - P I T Thomson
- EaStCHEM School of Chemistry , University of Edinburgh , The King's Buildings, David Brewster Road , Edinburgh EH9 3FJ , UK .
| | - G S Nichol
- EaStCHEM School of Chemistry , University of Edinburgh , The King's Buildings, David Brewster Road , Edinburgh EH9 3FJ , UK .
| | - M R Warren
- Diamond Light Source Ltd , Diamond House, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot , Oxfordshire OX11 0DE , UK
| | - C J Campbell
- EaStCHEM School of Chemistry , University of Edinburgh , The King's Buildings, David Brewster Road , Edinburgh EH9 3FJ , UK .
| | - P J Lusby
- EaStCHEM School of Chemistry , University of Edinburgh , The King's Buildings, David Brewster Road , Edinburgh EH9 3FJ , UK .
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Abstract
BACKGROUND There is reduced survival for people with all types of anaemia and it has been shown that there is a low yield from investigations for older people with normocytic anaemia. However, the longer-term outcomes of people with mild normocytic anaemia are not known. AIMS To determine the 5-year prognosis of older people with mild normocytic anaemia, compared with non-anaemic controls. METHODS This was a prospective cohort study, with some retrospective data collection, comparing 52 people aged > or =65 years (haemoglobin 100-119 g/L; mean cell volume 80-99 fL) without an obvious cause at presentation with 52 non-anaemic controls. The incidence of death, new malignancies and significant illnesses was compared between the two groups, 5 years later. RESULTS Anaemic patients were less likely to be living at home at baseline. Although survival was lower for the anaemic group at all follow-up times, these differences were not significantly different. Over 5 years, there were no significant differences between groups in the types of problems that developed. CONCLUSIONS A mild normocytic anaemia in older people, in the absence of an obvious cause, is not associated with significant differences in outcomes but is associated with poorer independence and a trend to lower survival. We suggest it may therefore be a marker of frailty in older people.
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Affiliation(s)
- T J Wilkinson
- The Princess Margaret Hospital and Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand.
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Warren MR. Obstetric Epidural Neural Damage Treated with Acupuncture. Acupunct Med 1994. [DOI: 10.1136/aim.12.2.114-a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M R Warren
- Stoneleigh Surgery, Milnthorpe, Cumbria LA7 7PW
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Keystone JS, Krajden S, Warren MR. Person-to-person transmission of Giardia lamblia in day-care nurseries. Can Med Assoc J 1978; 119:241-2, 247-8. [PMID: 679128 PMCID: PMC1818164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
In an outbreak of giardiasis at two day-care nurseries in metropolitan Toranto Giardia lamblia appeared to be transmitted person to person. No common source of infection could be found. The proportions of children infected in the two nurseries were 39% and 17%; infection was spread to 7% and 23% of their household contacts. Of the infected children and household contacts 26% and 30% respectively of those for whom detailed information could be obtained were symptomatic. Canadian children were more likely to be infected and symptomatic than were immigrant children attending the nurseries. The most susceptible ages for infection were 1 to 3 years. The results of this study suggest that all children in day-care nurseries who are infected with G. lamblia should be treated, regardless of whether they are symptomatic.
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Fainstein SB, Warren MR. Community kindergarten vision screening. Can J Ophthalmol 1974; 9:425-8. [PMID: 4425168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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Warren MR. Dr. Henry Munro-An Elusive Figure. Can Med Assoc J 1965; 92:377-378. [PMID: 20328115 PMCID: PMC1928106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
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